Chapter 48

Hu Xiaotian was certain that it would be difficult to keep this matter from his father's ears. Sure enough, that night when Hu Buwei returned home, he called Hu Xiaotian to his study.

Seeing his father's dark expression, Hu Xiaotian guessed that his father had most likely heard about the conflict between him and Shi Xuedong.

When Hu Xiaotian entered, Hu Buwei slapped the desk heavily and roared, "Kneel down!"

In Hu Xiaotian's memory, his father had never been this angry before. It seemed that he had truly angered his father today. Hu Xiaotian knelt down with a thud, muttering, "Kneel, I will! If the father orders the son to kneel, the son cannot refuse."

Hu Buwei said, "Wrong! If the father orders the son to die, the son cannot refuse!"

"Come on, Dad, I am your biological son. From the look on your face, you don't seem like someone who would sacrifice family for the greater good!"

Hu Buwei couldn't help but want to laugh at this, but he knew it wasn't the time to laugh. He put on a stern face and glared at Hu Xiaotian, "Rascal, do you think I wouldn't dare to sacrifice family for the greater good?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Dad, I take back what I said earlier. You have sacrificed family for the greater good before."

Hu Buwei said, "Impudent!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "You found me a paraplegic wife, which means you have cut off my happiness in life and my happiness in marriage. Is this not sacrificing family for the greater good?"

"Uh..."

"I have no grand ambitions, nor do I want to achieve great things. I just want to stay in the capital and take care of you and Mother. But you can't even fulfill this small wish for me and insist on sending me to Xichuan. Is this not sacrificing family for the greater good?"

"This..."

"Three times is the limit. You have already done it twice. If you are going to sacrifice family for the greater good today, I believe you have the heart and the will to do it. Dad, if you really don't like me, just get rid of me. After all, my life is yours, and even if you kill me, I will have no complaints."

"Ah... This... Really... I am so angry!" Hu Buwei clutched his head, staggered back two steps, and plopped down into the armchair. Despite his eloquence in court, he was at a loss with this son. Over the past sixteen years, he had suffered countless headaches because of his son's foolishness. Finally, the heavens had shown mercy, and his son had become smart overnight. However, he had started to cause trouble, and each incident was bigger than the last. Last time, he had offended a sixth-rank official, and now he had directly offended the Minister of Personnel, Shi Buwei. Politically, he and Shi Buwei were on the same side, and he had recently sought Shi Buwei's help to secure a position for his son. This child was truly a headache.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Dad, don't get angry. You are old, and your mind must be at peace. You can scold me or hit me, but you shouldn't punish yourself for my mistakes, right? If you get sick because of me, I will still have to take care of you. What kind of grudge do we have that we must both suffer?"

Hu Buwei, hearing this twisted logic, felt both angry and amused. Finally, he couldn't help but scold, "Brat, are you really trying to make me angry..." He couldn't help but laugh. He had intended to maintain a stern face and give his son a profound lesson, but he was rendered helpless by his son's jesting.

Seeing his father laugh, Hu Xiaotian knew that this matter should be fine. He moved closer to his father, "Dad, why are you angry with me?"

Hu Buwei glared at him, "Did I tell you to get up?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "My knees are swollen. I'm not afraid of hurting myself, but I'm afraid of worrying you. If I get sick because of this, won't you be heartbroken? Even if you don't care, Mother will. If she finds out, she will definitely blame you. It's hard for a fair judge to resolve family matters. If the backyard catches fire, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Hu Buwei looked at his son and sneered, "Are you threatening me?"

"Never!"

Suddenly, Hu Buwei chuckled, and Hu Xiaotian joined in with a sly laugh.

Without warning, Hu Buwei stopped laughing, but Hu Xiaotian, due to inertia, continued to laugh. He quickly tried to stop but was already a bit embarrassed, "Dad, at least give me a heads-up. You can't just do this."

Hu Buwei said, "In three days, you will set off for Xichuan!"

"What?" Although Hu Xiaotian had been mentally prepared, he was still taken aback when it was confirmed. Soon, a sense of inexplicable joy welled up inside him. He had thought his father had forgotten about this, but it turned out that it had been ongoing. He put on a serious face, "Dad, I don't want to leave you!"

Hu Buwei said, "You have no choice! Staying in the capital will only bring you trouble. If I don't send you out to experience the world, you won't understand the hardships of life, and you won't appreciate the hard-won good times." He stood up, patted his son's shoulder, and said, "Xiaotian, it's not that I am heartless. As the saying goes, jade unpolished is not a gem, and a man unlearned knows not the meaning of righteousness. Traveling a thousand miles is more effective than reading ten thousand books."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Dad, are you really sending me to Xichuan to be a son-in-law to the Li family?" He had always suspected his father's motives for sending him to Xichuan, thinking it was more than just a way to avoid political storms.

Hu Buwei smiled faintly, "Since I am sending you out, I want you to be well-trained. I don't plan to reveal your identity to local officials. As long as you don't make a fuss, the Li family won't know. Xichuan is vast, and the Li family controls the entire region. They won't pay attention to a small place like Qingyun County, where you will serve as the vice-county magistrate."

Hu Xiaotian blinked. He had thought that his father would not send him to a remote area. Qingyun County sounded auspicious, implying a smooth rise to power. However, from his father's tone, Qingyun seemed to be quite small. He knew that a vice-county magistrate was not a top official, equivalent to a deputy county magistrate, with the county magistrate above him.

Hu Xiaotian said, "What rank is a vice-county magistrate?"

Hu Buwei was stumped by the question. The position of vice-county magistrate was so minor that he hadn't paid attention to its rank. After some thought, he said, "It should be a ninth-rank... lower."

Hu Xiaotian had been excited when he heard that he would be given freedom to serve as an official, but hearing his father's words felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. "What! Ninth-rank lower! Who are you fooling? Is that even an official position? Dad, you went through all the trouble of asking friends and pulling strings, and this is the best you could do for me? Uh, I mean, half of a minor official."

"Unhappy?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I don't mind, but you are a third-rank official in the court. If I get a ninth-rank lower position, won't it be embarrassing for you? I want to make it clear that I don't care, as long as you don't feel ashamed, I don't mind!"

How could Hu Buwei not see through his son's ulterior motives? No matter how many times he tried to explain, it was still about the low rank. He smiled, "Don't worry. I don't plan to tell others that you are my son. If you are afraid of disgracing me, don't mention that you are my son when you take office."

Hu Xiaotian was completely stunned, "Dad, why do I feel like you are sacrificing family for the greater good again?"

Hu Buwei said, "I have your best interests at heart. Son, you will be in Xichuan for at most two years. The region is beautiful, with talented people. You can consider it a time of relaxation and enjoyment." In fact, Hu Buwei was reluctant to let his son go, but with the impending change in imperial power, the court was in turmoil, and it was uncertain what would happen. Just then, their family's iron voucher had been stolen, and although the matter had not been exposed, it remained a hidden danger, like a heavy mountain on Hu Buwei's heart. Hu Xiaotian was the only heir of the Hu family, and sending him to Xichuan was a precautionary measure, a well-thought-out decision.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Since you have decided, I have nothing more to say."